Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Comedian Jack Carter died Sunday, June 28, of respiratory
failure at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 93. He was also an actor, emcee,
singer, mimic, dancer, and director in a career that spanned over seven
decades.

He began his
professional career appearing on Broadway in “Call Me Mister.” He later
appeared on Milton Berle’s “Texaco Star Theatre” shows, and it was during this
time that Carter got his first real break.

For two years, he
hosted the early television variety program “Cavalcade of Stars” prior to
having his own show on NBC, “The Jack Carter Show,” which lasted three years,
and was a part of the “Saturday Night Review.” He also co-starred in several of
the Colgate Comedy Hours with Ed Wynn, Jimmy Durante, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis
and Donald O’Connor.

In addition to
“Call Me Mister,” his Broadway credits include “Mr. Wonderful” and “Top
Banana.” He hosted the first televised Tony Awards in 1956. Other theater credits
include “Guys and Dolls,” “The Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” “Born Yesterday,”
“Critics Choice,” “The Odd Couple,” “A Hatful of Rain,” “Little Me,” “A Funny
Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” and as Fagin in “Oliver” and “Sugar”
with Robert Morse.

He often appeared
in dramatic roles on television including “The Last Hurrah” with Carol
O’Connor; “The Sex Symbol” with Connie Stevens and Shelley Winters; and he
received two Emmy nominations for the NBC series “Dr. Kildare,” starring
Richard Chamberlain, and an Emmy nomination for the ABC movie of the week “The
Girl Who Couldn’t Lose.” His many other television credits include “The
Rockford Files,” “Diagnosis Murder,” “Touched by an Angel,” “Emergency,”
“Police Story,” “Fame,” “Fantasy Island,” Steven Spielberg’s “Amazing Stories”
as well as “3rd Rock From the Sun,” “Baywatch,” “7th Heaven,” “Just Shoot Me!,”
“King of the Hill,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Caroline in the City,” “Coach,”
“Living Single,” “Monk,” “Desperate Housewives,” “iCarly,” “Parks & Recreation,”
“Family Guy,” “New Girl,” “Rules of Engagement,” and, most recently in 2014,
several appearances on “Shameless.”

His work as a director included Lucille Ball’s CBS series
“Here’s Lucy” and plays including “A Thousand Clowns,” “Silver Anniversary” and
“Mouth-Trap.”

Throughout his career, Carter was a prominent presence on
TV variety shows and musicals. He has made more than 50 appearances on “The Ed
Sullivan Show” and guest starred on “The Dean Martin Show,” “The Andy Williams
Show,” “The Jackie Gleason Show,” “Laugh-In” and numerous Bob Hope comedy
specials. He was a frequent panelist on “Match Game” through the 1970s and ’80s
as well as a guest star on “The $10,000 Pyramid.”

He was a top nightclub entertainer, playing clubs and
theaters in Las Vegas as well as New York, London, Atlantic City and Chicago.

His movie credits
include “Play It to the Bone,” “The Horizontal Lieutenant,” “Viva Las Vegas,”
“The Amazing Dobermans,” “Alligator,” “Comics,” “Hustle” with Burt Reynolds and
Mel Brooks’ “History of the World, Part I.”

Jack Chakrin was born in Brooklyn, New York. While in his
teens, he honed his comedic craft as a mimic appearing on the “Major Bowes’
Amateur Hour” radio show. He attended the Academy of Dramatic Art aspiring to
be a dramatic actor. He began his professional career after serving in the Army
in World War II.

Survivors include
his wife Roxanne, whom he married in 1971; sons Michael Carter and Chase
Carter; daughter Wendy Carter; and grandchildren Jake and

Monday, June 29, 2015

Dietrich Haugk who directed many German television
thrillers and written teleplays, has died at the age of 90 years.

He directed the first and the last “Derrick”: The
director Dietrich Haugk, the other German TV thrillers as “The Old Man” or the
“metropolitan area” is staged, died on Sunday. He was 90.

Dietrich Haugk died on Sunday, his family confirmed on
Monday the German Press Agency in Berlin. Born in Thuringia he was active first
as a theater directorial work and then for 40 years in television.

He directed 14 “Derrick” episodes, including Stephan
Derrick’s debut “Forest Path” (1974) and the last case, “The Farewell Gift” (1998).
Even with “Der Kommissar”, “The Old Man”, “metropolitan area” and “practice
Bülowbogen” he led multiple Director.

In addition Haugk worked as a screenwriter and voice
actor. He lent his voice as Montgomery Clift in the film “From Here to Eternity.”
As a professor of the former Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts Mozarteum in
Salzburg Haugk formed in more than two decades of more than 200 students of
acting and directing classes. “His commitment to the students will never be
forgotten,” said a spokesman Mozarteum. (Dpa)

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Fred R. Price, a former studio executive at Warner Bros.
who oversaw set construction, died in Sherman Oaks, Calif., on June 25
following a brief illness. He was 88.

Price had many credits in set decoration for both movies
and television, including for the classic Paul Newman film “Cool Hand Luke.” In
the feature film division, he oversaw set construction and budgeting for it.

He was also an art director on a number of TV movies as
well as the feature “Porky’s II: The Next Day.”

Price also worked at Disney as a draper, and was involved
in both the construction and maintenance of Disneyland.

He was a member of both the Academy of Motion Pictures
Arts & Sciences and the Television Academy. He was also a longtime member
of IATSE Local 44.

Price is survived by his wife of 68 years, Sonia;
daughter Jacqueline S. Price and son Martin C. Price, who are both members of
IA Local 44; and their children and grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are still being finalized, but Price
will be buried at Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills, Calif. on Sunday, June
28.

November 17, 1932 - June 18, 2015 John "Johnny"
M. Stephens passed away on June 18 in Orange County, CA surrounded by family.
He was born in Valparaiso, Indiana in 1932 to Katherine and Mark Stephens. John
served in the US Navy in the fifties. He was an amazing Hollywood 2nd unit
cameraman who received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994 and traveled the
world making major films: Grand Prix, Indiana Jones, ET, and Titanic among his
many credits. He is survived by his wife, Barbara and children: Melanie, Johnny,
Valerie and Sheri. John's positive and uplifting spirit and warm smile will be
missed by everyone. A Memorial Service will be held on June 24th at Christ
Pacific Church in Huntington Beach at 11:00.

About Me

Born in Toledo, Ohio in 1946 I have a BA degree in American History from Cal St. Northridge. I've been researching the American West and western films since the early 1980s and visiting filming sites in Spain and the U.S.A. Elected a member of the Spaghetti Western Hall of Fame 2010.